Operating electronic hardware typically requires some sort of manual contact with a switch or other actuation means. For portable hardware, it is desirable to provide a switch which may be operated by a slight articulation of the hand, so that the hand remains largely free for other tasks, such as grasping objects, etc. It is also desirable to provide a switch which prevents operator fatigue by requiring very little force to actuate. Such use of portable hardware involves the use of a laser bar code scanner in a warehouse, when an operator of a scanner may wish to carry or wear a portable scanner.
One approach has been to mount the switch and switch actuator near, but not actually on, the hand or fingers, and actuate the switch by direct pressure from the fingers. This first approach may be thought of as an "off-hand" approach; it typically uses a "button" switch with a switch actuator in the form of a `button cap` and with a switch actuator such as an extension lever sometime connected thereto. Since the "off-hand" switch is not actually on the hand or fingers, it does not require cumbersome wiring about the fingers. However, the system of the offhand approach is susceptible to inadvertent actuation; to prevent this it is necessary to mechanically bias the switch so that actuation requires deliberate exertion. Actuating (e.g., pressing) the button may be difficult; repeatedly actuating such a switch may lead to operator fatigue.
Another common approach been to locate the switch and switch actuator, not merely near the hand or fingers, but actually upon the hand or fingers, along with the switch actuator, if any, also mounted thereupon. This approach may be termed an "on-hand" approach. Such a switch is typically actuated via certain hand movements which move the switch actuator and thereby actuate the switch. While this `on-hand` approach allows easy mounting of the switch, e.g. on a ring or glove, these switches are difficult to remove due to wiring connected to the fingers and hand, and are difficult to use without unintentionally actuating the switch via ordinary hand movements of normal hand use.
The present invention features a new approach, which may be thought of as a hybrid between the on-hand and off-hand approaches, is taken by the system according to the present invention, in which the switch is located near, but not on, the movable extremity (e.g. the hand) while the switch actuator is located, not merely near, but on, the movable extremity (e.g. hand). This provides all the advantages associated with both on-hand and off-hand systems, but does not provide any of the disadvantages of either on-hand or off-hand systems. The system according to the present invention provides a way of locating the switch near the hand, thereby avoiding the need for cabling to the hand, while providing wireless switch actuator on the hand, thereby eliminating the disadvantages associated with hand mounted switches, such as removal difficulty and unintentional switching by ordinary hand movements.